1 Corinthians 1:30, The Logos (Part IV of V)

//Before wrapping up this discussion tomorrow, a little more information about the Logos is in order. What is this mysterious, cosmic Reason that coexisted with God since the creation?

John’s Logos Christology poetically parallels the structure of Wisdom texts throughout Jewish tradition. It is not a new idea. These texts, both inside and outside the Bible, personify Wisdom’s relation to God, her preexistence and role in creation, her place beside the throne of God, her dispatch to earth to dwell among God’s people, and the benefits of seeking her. This Wisdom tradition reflects Jewish-Hellenistic thinking and writing long before Christ arrived. Virtually everything John says about the Logos, Jewish literature first said about Wisdom. But while Wisdom (Sophia) is a feminine name, John needed a more masculine name: he chose Reason (Logos).

Other ancient writers also linked Reason and Wisdom, Sophia and Logos. The two, personified, cooperate to create the universe in Shepherd of Hermas. (In Genesis, it is the “spirit” or “wind” of God that accomplishes this task.)

Nor was John the first to compare Wisdom to Jesus. Paul, hoping to relate to both Jew and Gentile, explained that Christ arrived as the wisdom of God. See today’s verse. John merely carried Paul’s analogy farther, introducing to Christianity the theology of descent from above.

Thus we have Wisdom = Spirit, and Word = Logos, and a merging of these two lines of thought. With the Logos, the companion of God during creation, entrenched in Jewish thinking as the Spirit, we approach the conclusion tomorrow of what John was trying to tell us with the fascinating prologue to his Gospel.

Fantasy Football, Anyone?

Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.

The River of Life

Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.

The Way It Happened

What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.

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Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
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